#someone produces a fiddle from the aether

[experimentaldata]

man I miss making music with people fr fr

[amememightywarrior]

HW/other friends meet their wind-up selves

Haurchefant

The wind-up Haurchefant ends up on Haurchefant’s desk after a series of mishaps involving wild karakul and the mammet’s intense need to shield its owner from all potential dangers, real or imagined, resulting in a mammet who appeared to be three sheets to the wind and wouldn’t pass a sobriety test if the world’s continued existence depended on it. Haurchefant demonstrates a surprisingly thorough knowledge of mechanics when he picks up his miniature copy and fixes its malfunctioning gyroscope with a few well-placed pokes of his new quill.

“Not to boast, but I’ve fixed a poppet or two in my time,” he confesses. “Lord Francel’s elder brother, Lord Stephanivien, often built them for entertainment and would give them to his siblings for their namedays.” The wind-up Haurchefant gazes up at him solemnly before clenching its fist in triumph. Haurchefant graces it with his characteristic broad smile and sticks out a finger. The mammet, in a move that is most definitely not programmed, grasps the finger in its tiny hand as though going for a handshake. Haurchefant laughs. “Well met, my friend! Well met indeed!”

Ysayle

Ysayle’s never seen a mammet in person before, though she’s certainly heard of them. She’s not given to smiling often, but after watching the wind-up Ysayle twirl in a mechanized imitation of her own grace, a canny observer would notice the hint of one tugging at the corner of her mouth. “How strange to see one’s own likeness in such a small scale,” she murmurs. “What does it do? Is it merely for decoration?” Then, with much more interest, she asks, “Is there a Saint Shiva one? Or mayhap Hraesvelgr? Vidofnir?” She returns to studying the mammet. “Is it true that a mammet heart can give an inanimate object a soul...?”

She forgets all her serious thoughts when presented with a wind-up moogle. Eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar, she watches the wee moogle dance through the air with fascination. When offered the moogle, she becomes flustered. “Oh, I could never! I wouldn’t be able to care for it, or...or...keep it clean and fluffy...” She shoots a furtive glance in the direction of the resident grumpy dragoon, clearly envisioning a broken wind-up moogle. With much regret, she officially rejects the offer.

Estinien

Estinien simply looks at the wind-up Estinien silently as it proudly brandishes its tiny Nidhogg’s eye and threatens him with its lance. It seems the inanimate object is worth only a look. When paired with the wind-up Nidhogg, the world is graced with a soft snort as the two mammets begin ‘fighting’. Whatever he thinks of them is as much of a mystery as the rest of his thoughts.

Later, in the Azim Steppe, his expression is clearer. Sadness wars with regret as he watches wind-up Estinien hop about in a rage against the wind-up Nidhogg. It’s only when he sees the wind-up Ysayle that he is finally moved to speak. “I wonder,” he says, “if such frivolous things are meant to bring comfort in their own way.”

When offered the wind-up Ysayle to keep, he refuses gently, but with a soft smile to show he does not hate the idea. Not everyone grieves the same way, it seems.

Aymeric

The stars align and contrive to give Aymeric a brief break in his duties, which is just long enough to show off his wind-up likeness to him. “I’d heard tell that this was being made, but I confess that this is my first time seeing it,” Aymeric says. “Isn’t it odd, being a public figure?” The wind-up Aymeric brandishes its sword, prompting him to laugh. “Very impressive! I should like to have one of you. We’ll be even then, yes?”

Much as he would like to stay and chat, it’s time for him to attend a meeting between the Temple Knights and the Scholasticate to discuss the new curriculum. Ishgard waits for no one.

Cid

“Keep that out of my workshop!” Cid bellows when he sees the tiny mammet running about underfoot like it owns the place. “Who made that thing, anyhow?”

“I did, and I’ll have you know it’s the second-most popular poppet produced by Garlond Ironworks!” Jesse hollers back from the other side of the shop.

A familiar and unwelcome blond head pops up from behind a large piece of sheet metal. Nero, face smeared with grease just like everyone else, proudly says, “And the most popular one happens to bear my likeness. It is, of course, better engineered than anything Garlond could come up with.”

“It also comes with a bonus coffee maker,” Jesse says. Cid starts swearing under his breath. Wind-up Cid, seemingly reflecting Cid’s mood, gestures rudely in Nero’s direction, though its fingers are too tiny to tell if it’s really flipping the bird or just pretending.

Alisaie

“Thank the Twelve it’s not wearing the same thing as the Alphinaud one,” Alisaie says when she sees the dress-up Alisaie. “You’ve no idea how many times I had to say ‘That’s Alphinaud’ when someone tries to show me their minion.”

No one else is about, so she sits and plays with the mammet until it’s time to go. Never speak of this to anyone.

Alphinaud

There is no need to show Alphinaud the dress-up Alphinaud. He already has one for himself, along with a dress-up Alisaie and every other Scion minion ever made. They’re all the very first ones produced. He also has ones of Aymeric, Estinien, Haurchefant, Ysayle, and specially commissioned ones of Hraesvelgr and Nidhogg. “One must needs keep Estinien and Nidhogg apart, else they expend all their energy fighting one another,” he explains as he carefully grooms his collection. They usually stay in his room at the Rising Stones. Even after the Crystal Braves betrayed him, the collection stayed untouched. No doubt part of that was because they were likely worth a fortune, but the main reason given by various Braves was that they were creepy. When someone enters the room, the minions turn to face the visitor and spend the whole time watching their every move.

No one has the heart to tell Alphinaud how creepy they are yet. Well, except for Alisaie.

Y’shtola

With no appreciable source of aether coming from the mechanical toy, Y’shtola has a great deal of trouble even noticing the mammet at her feet at first. It’s only when the wind-up Y’shtola chirps the way mammets do that she crouches to touch it. “Hmm,” she says. “Is this...meant to be me?” Her ears flick, listening to the soft clicking of the gears powering the tiny automaton, and her nose twitches as she smells the metal and felt that comprises its many parts. She gently pinches one of the tiny ears and smiles. “Charming. Well, shall we get on?”

Both of them look expectant. Such a pity she can’t see the resemblance anymore.

Thancred

“Handsome lad, much like his inspiration,” Thancred remarks, fiddling with the mammet’s arms to make it pose roguishly. A wicked gleam appears in his eyes as he happens upon an idea most fiendish. He is next seen presenting his mini-me to F’lahminn, who appears merely semi-impressed, and only with the crafting expertise shown by the mammet’s creator. Thancred, under the guise of taking his new tiny friend to ‘see the world’, takes it with him in his latest foray into Ul’dah. The wind-up Thancred is eventually returned none the worse for wear save for a tiny smear of lipstick on its forehead.

[xantchaslegacy]

MTG Month of the Ship Day 2 - First Date

Saheeli rarely felt nervous before a match.

True, there was always the thrill of the competition. The rush of adrenaline that came from the clash of metal and hair-trigger nerves needed to win, but she went into every match assured that she would emerge victorious, or learn something valuable in the process.

Today the stakes were higher. Today, she had someone to impress.  

“Saheeli!”

Huatli was waving at her from the stands not far from where Saheeli stood in the arena. Her face framed by that radiant red-and-silver headdress. She seemed excited about the match, but there were very few things in Ghirapur that hadn’t piqued Huatli’s interest so far.

Saheeli felt a pang of guilt. She had spent the first week after Huatli’s arrival showing her all the sights, people, and creations of Ghirapur, in exchange for Huatli’s stories of her own world. Those stories had been so vivid that she forgot entirely about showing her new companion the city, and had begged to hear more about the creatures and places of Ixalan.

They had spent days holed up together in her workshop, Huatli reading her poems, Saheeli making sketches and shaping metal to bring her words to life. They had shared an intense week of frustrations working through miniaturized versions of the creatures, sharing meals and talking long into the night from the bedrolls stuffed in the corner of the workshop. Despite their different backgrounds, Saheeli had felt so strongly and undeniably drawn to the other woman’s enthusiasm, her lively spirit, and her ability to find wonder in all the things that were commonplace on Kaladesh. It was almost without thinking that she had insisted Huatli come and watch her duel in the arena.

She was sure Huatli had understood what she meant when she called the invitation a date. And then there had been the kiss on the cheek when they finally got the tyrannosaur construct to stand with its tail properly balanced, but that had been a week ago, and Huatli had spent the time since exploring the city with others; citizens who already knew of the existence of planeswalkers, and could be trusted to keep a secret.

Saheeli couldn’t help but wonder whether, in that time, Huatli’s interests had wandered to other things.

Across the arena, Saheeli's opponents pulled a tarp off of their creation. It was humanoid, in the shape of a massive green bandar, with an extra set of shoulders and arms sitting atop its chest. It howled, and beat its breast with all four fists.

Not bad.

Saheeli flexed her fingers, and ribbons of metal began to coalesce, some off of her ornate dress, others seemingly out of the aether itself. The ribbons flowed together and began to intertwine, taking the shape she had been planning out for two weeks.

Huatli’s descriptions, her poems, were so vivid in their detail. Listening to them, Saheeli had felt like she was looking right at the other planeswalker’s world, and when she had produced rough sketches of the automaton, Huatli had approved with such enthusiasm that Saheeli was certain she’d managed to capture the essence of the creature in question.

The Tyrannosaurus.

The crowd gasped in unison as the final curls of metal spiraled into place. Six stories tall, gleaming silver and red (would Huatli notice that?). Saheeli was a bit concerned that the arms of the creature were too small to be of any use, but Huatli had been insistent about that particular detail.

The two titanic constructs rushed at one another. The tyrannosaur’s jaws clamped down hard on the bandar’s upper left shoulder, and gave it a savage twist. The bandar was almost forced to its knees, but managed to twist around and start pummeling the tyrannosaur’s side with its two right arms while the fourth tried to force the jaws open.

A promising start. Saheeli glanced over toward Huatli to see how the warrior had reacted to her newest creation.

Her heart sank. Huatli wasn’t even looking. Her head was down, and she was fiddling with something on her lap.

Saheeli cursed. This had been a bad idea for a first date. They weren’t even spending time together, really, she had just dragged Huatli here to watch her perform without considering if she would even find it inter-

Huatli glanced up, and the look of shock and concern on her face confused Saheeli for a full second before she realized Huatli was looking at her automaton. The bandar-construct had gotten its arm around the tyrannosaur and was swinging its fist into the dinosaur’s chest again and again, caving in the metal. The one of the bandar’s arms had been ripped clean by the dinosaur’s jaw, but it still had three left to freely pummel with.

Focus. Saheeli steeled herself with a breath, and made a splitting gesture with both hands. The crowd roared as the tyrannosaurus crumbled under a savage blow, splitting into over a dozen pieces.

Their roar turned quickly to gasps as each piece hit the arena floor and uncurled into new forms. Like the tyrannosaurus in miniature, with whip-like tails and wicked curved toe-claws.

The Bandar responded quicker than Saheeli expected, seizing its severed arm and sweeping it like a broom, trying to knock the raptors aside. A common tactic when one large automaton was faced with many smaller foes.

Saheeli grinned, and whistled. Delicate sensors within the raptors picked up the sound and reacted accordingly, leaping onto the bandar's legs, and onto the arm it was attempting to wield as a weapon. They climbed the green beast, biting and scrabbling at the space between its armored plates. Gilded teeth and steel claws tore into vulnerabilities at the joints. In moments the bandar construct was stumbling, leaking aether from a score of cracks and broken ligaments.

The bandar teetered sideways and fell with a thud that shook the stands. Screeching, the raptors continued to tear it to shreds, tossing wires and plates of metal to the sand. The crowd was quiet for all of a half-second, then erupted into cheers. Huatli was standing, one foot up on the edge of the arena, pumping her arms in the air.

Saheeli ran over to her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had blushed during a match, but she suspected she might have been just then.  

“Well?” She grinned up at Huatli, shouting over the crowd. “How was it? Not too boring?”

“Boring? That was glorious!” Huatli vaulted over the side of the ring and landed right in front of Saheeli, kicking up a cloud of dust. She pulled Saheeli into a hug. Rough, but not unwelcome. “You didn’t tell me you’d tried making a polyraptor as well.”

“Ah, well, I wanted to surprise you.”

“When do they present you with the crown for your victory?”

Saheeli laughed. “This is still an informal league; we don’t do ribbons or trophies like the inventor’s fair…”

“No?” Huatli’s face fell a bit. “But then where will I read my poem?” She looked around at the arena crowd. “Here?”

“Poem?”

“Of course.” Huatli pulled several sheets of paper from the bag at her waist. “Such a battle of skill and daring deserves a poem. It’s…it’s a bit short, but I think it does your triumph justice.”

“Did…did you write that just now?”

“You were magnificent! I simply had to.”

Now Saheeli was certain she was blushing. This woman, with her easy smiles and unconcealed enthusiasm…

“Next time we can go somewhere for you to show off your poems. I know some song-writers who would love your style. Aetherborn patrons of the arts. Until then…would you mind just reading it to me?”

“It’s a date!” Huatli sidled up to Saheeli and took her arm. “Oh, but let’s do this again sometime. I think a pteradon would have been a marvelous choice against that giant goblin-creature. A ceratops might have been interesting, but that construct looked nimble enough to dodge around the charges. Maybe…”

Huatli gushed breathlessly, and Saheeli’s mind was already reeling with further possibilities for lifecrafts. It was nice to have a muse, especially one as lovely and as this.

  The above is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan  Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the  materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the  Coast LLC.

[ironleaf-rp]

Gridania Story-Go-Round Storylog:  April 2017

An Egg-citing Egg-periment

[19:09]Syranelle Ironleaf: "Our story begins in the laboratory of a brilliant lalafellian arcanist who was determined to change his carbuncle into a cuter animal. He was always fond of bunnies, having spent way too much time at the Golden Saucer in his youth, so that's what he aimed for. It took him many moons, but he finally managed it. A Bunnybuncle, at last!" >> [19:11]Syranelle Ironleaf: "There was something wrong with the Bunnybuncle, though. It often -- well, honestly, frighteningly often -- laid random eggs. So often, in fact, that the Arcanist's laboratory was festooned with them. Eggs in his books, eggs on his desk, eggs on his favorite chair, even eggs in his bed and on his pillow. They were everywhere! 'What am I supposed to do with all these eggs?!' he lamented. 'I need help!' so he placed an advertisement with the Adventurer's Guild that read..."

[19:14]Aislinn Melpomene: "Looking for fellow arcanist researchers to discover the mysteries of carbuncles... and bunnies. Your reward for assisting in this mystery: one thousand gil. Ten thousand if you can solve the mystery! And on a completely unrelated note, looking for kind and happy homes for bunnies." The arcanist waited and waited. >> [19:17]Aislinn Melpomene: Soon enough, he received several offers. Up and coming arcanists, ones who had served their time on the battlefields, honing their geometric magicks, and all sorts in between. The first came. The bunny-buncle was so happy to see a new face, that it produced even -more- eggs, even one in the newcomer's hair! [19:19]Syranelle Ironleaf: "The new Arcanist, a budding young miqo'te, was astonished even astounded at the development with the lalafell's Bunnybuncle. She inspected it carefully, both physically and through aether. 'This is incredible!' she said, 'How is this accomplished?' She seemed heedless of the egg atop her head, even though it rocked back and forth precariously, threatening to fall off at any moment. The Bunnybuncle bore this all in silence, content to be basked with such attention. >> [19:21]Syranelle Ironleaf: However, the pile of eggs was growing worse and worse by the moment. The Lalafell Arcanist finally had to call a halt to their research. "I'm going to have a house that's one giant omelet at this rate!" he cried. "This cannot go on... w-wait... Omelets! I'll go see the Head Chef at the Bismarck, maybe they could use all these eggs!" Indeed, he marched himself across the city to the renown restaurant where all the Culinarians trained. [19:25]Aislinn Melpomene: The guildmaster and his students were quite happy to have a steady source of eggs, not to mention quite free of charge! The Lalafellan Arcanist brought him many - as many as his bag could carry. He cracked an egg open, one could never know when it came to magic. Lo and behold... a tiny carbunny popped out! >> [19:25]Aislinn Melpomene: He was astonished. He could not cook this! The tiny carbunny hobbled over to him and with a little mewl, settled into the guildmaster's arms. Soon enough, the other culinarian students were clamoring for their own, and the Arcanist was happy to oblige. He returned to his laboratory to figure out what to do next. He studied and studied... until he heard of a report from the Culinarian's guild. Their guild was overrun by Carbunny eggs! [19:34]Syranelle Ironleaf: The Guildmaster begged for the Arcanist to take them back. They were getting into everything, it was impossible to cook, business would be ruined! But the Arcanist refused. "I need space in my lab; I don't have room for them either!" In the meantime, the miqo'te Arcanist who answered his earlier ad was still fiddling with the original Bunnybuncle. She managed to figure out that if you fed it enough aether it eventually *popped* in a shower of glitter, like an over-inflated balloon. >> [19:36]Syranelle Ironleaf: With a solution thus, accidentally, found she ran to tell the Lalafell. "I've found a way to cull the Bunnybuncles! All you need to do is overload them with aether and they'll pop like bubbles of energy." The Lalafell grimaced. "That sounds kind of questionable, are you sure it's safe?" The miqo'te shrugged. "They're just aetheric constructs; it's not like they're real. Besides, what choice do we have? At the rate they're multiplying, they'll take over Limsa Lominsa in a week!" [19:40]Aislinn Melpomene: With a reluctant agreement, the Lalafell agreed to the course of action. So, around they went, 'popping' the Bunnybuncles. Within minutes, the guild was covered in glitter, and the two mages, exhausted. Believing their task over, they returned to his lab. >> [19:43]Aislinn Melpomene: To their dismay, they found the original set of Bunnybuncle eggs had begun to hatch. And as they did, they hatched in a multitude of sizes. Large Bunnybuncles, almost as big as his chair! Tiny bunnybuncles, the size of the miqo'te's ring finger. And they were all... laying... eggs, the sizes of which were in proportion to their own sizes. The miqo'te looked to the lalafell. "I believe we are going to need more help..." [19:46]Syranelle Ironleaf: Bunnybuncles galore! With eggs in myriad sizes spawning every second. "Good Gods, I don't think we have enough Arcanists to get rid of them all! What are we going to do?" the lalafell sobbed, burying his face in his hands. The miqo'te thought for a long moment, but an idea struck her like lightning! [19:48]Syranelle Ironleaf: "The Hatching-tide Festival!" she crowed, grabbing her little lalafell companion and giving him a good shake. "Every year the Dreamers' come 'round and have people hunt up eggs. Well, I'm sure they'd love a never-ending supply of eggs!" With that, she scurried off in order to find out how to contact the organizers of the Hatching-tide Festival. This was sure to alleviate their problems... right? [19:52]Aislinn Melpomene: As it turned out, the Dreamers were quite happy to have so many eggs. And bunnies. After all, they mused, who did not like bunnies? And so, games were crafted for adventurers. Collect an egg here, collect an egg there, and bring them back. It was simple enough... And if an adventurer stole off with an egg, well, that is what the extras were for. And so, the eggs were set out around Gridania, placed in both easy and hard to find places. It started off well enough. >> [19:55]Aislinn Melpomene: The first adventurer returned with an egg. "I have found one!" She announced cheerfully. What they did not know, was that the teenaged hyur was a thaumaturge, and one whose aether acted up with her excitement. Giddy at having found the first egg of the season, her aether reacted - and struck the Bunnybuncle's egg with a faint zap of lightning, though not enough to destroy it. It however hatched in her arms. Immediately, the Dreamers knew that something was very wrong with this Bunnybuncle. [19:58]Syranelle Ironleaf: It had /fangs/, this Bunnybuncle, and seemed quite angry. It tried to bite the Dreamer as they pondered over it and so flustered by it were they that they sent again for the lalafell and miqo'te who started all this. "Look at this creature!" they said, pointing to the Vorpal Bunnybuncle. "It's downright hostile! You have to deal with it at once!" Try as they might, though, the pair of Arcanists couldn't draw close enough to 'pop' the Vorpal Bunnybuncle like they had its predecessors. >> [20:01]Syranelle Ironleaf: "What are we going to do? It's got nasty, big, pointy teeth! Perhaps we should run away!" the lalafell said, wringing his hands in dismay. "We can't just leave it here, what if it hurts someone?" the miqo'te argued. "Well, it might hurt /us!/" the lalafell protested. The miqo'te sighed. "I think we need to call in even /more/ help." So she went to the Adventurer's Guild and placed another ad. [20:05]Aislinn Melpomene: And this time, a tall male Roegadyn answered. "Oi, chief." He greeted the two. "Ye've got a bunny problem?" "Yes!" The Lalafell whined. "We cannot get close to one who has become quite hostile! And we cannot get rid of it if we cannot get close!" The Roe let out a boisterous laugh, shifting the axe on his back. "Yer just scared of a little bunny? Fine, show me where it is, and I'll deal with it!" >> [20:08]Aislinn Melpomene: They departed to the last known location of the angry Bunnybuncle. It was still in the area, having made a nest in the Dreamer's bucket of eggs. "Oh, what will we do!" The Dreamer bemoaned. "We must be able to get to that basket! It has been foretold in my visions!" The Roe let out another laugh and strolled nonchalantly towards the basket. "Ehhh, ain't ye' a little cute bugger? Ye' ain't that scary!" He reached out to grab the bunnybuncle by the scruff of its neck. [20:11]Syranelle Ironleaf: As soon as the roegadyn's hand neared, the Vorpal Bunnybuncle lashed out with it's sharp teeth and narrowly missed biting the roegadyn. "Whoa there!" the great roe cried in alarm, "That's not your ordinary bunny!" The miqo'te grimaced, placing her hands on her hips. "I /told/ you that to begin with!" The roegadyn crouched on his haunches, surveying the Vorpal Bunnybuncle from a safe distance. "I will send for my friend, the Brave Sir Robin, he's a great paladin from Ul'dah." >> [20:12]Syranelle Ironleaf: "I'm sure if anyone can manage to defeat this beast, it will be Brave Sir Robin!" The roegadyn assured them. The lalafell and the miqo'te heaved a sigh of relief and waited for this brave paladin to arrive. In the meantime, they built a crude sort of pen around the Bunnybuncle to keep it from going anywhere. [20:16]Aislinn Melpomene: The Brave Sir Robin, a midlander dressed in the shimmering white armor of the Sultansworn, strode forward with grace and confidence. "Where is this beast?" He asked haughtily. "I will elminate it, so no other need fear." He walked to the pen. "*This* is the beast?" He looked to the others. "Do not underestimate it! It is a strong and viscious being!" The Lalafell warned, and the Roe agreed. >> [20:18]Aislinn Melpomene: "Psh." The paladin scoffed, then reached to open the pen. The Vorpal Bunnybuncle looked up, then launched itself at the Paladin! With a shriek resembling that of a girl, he SWUNG at the bunny with his shield with all his might! The vorpal bunny poofed into a could of glitter... and a blue gemstone laid where the bunny had just been. [20:22]Syranelle Ironleaf: "Well, that was certainly short-lived," the lalafell Arcanist observed, "But what's that it left behind?" He stared at the blue gemstone curiously. It was lying atop the bucket of Bunnybuncle eggs that the Vorpal Bunnybuncle had made its nest. However, Sir Robin might be brave, he was also clumsy. He accidentally cracked one of the eggs as he took up the gemstone, but instead of producing a Bunnybuncle like all the others did, it just leaked out yolk and egg white, like a normal egg. >> [20:24]Syranelle Ironleaf: "Did it just turn all of those Bunnybuncle Eggs into normal eggs?" The Arcanists said, almost in unison. They scurried forward to take the blue gemstone from Sir Robin, inspecting it carefully. "If we can convert all the Bunnybuncle eggs into normal ones, maybe we can finally put an end to their ceaseless spawning!" It was worth a try, at least, so they carried the gemstone to another nearby pile of eggs. [20:27]Aislinn Melpomene: So the four carefully placed the gemstone on top of the next pile of eggs and waited a few moments. Afterwards, the Roe pulled out his axe, then slammed it down - crushing the eggs, and leaving a very eggy mess behind. However, in the process, the gemstone was also split - breaking into two halves. "Well... that did not last long." The miqo'te muttered. The Lalafell shrieked. "It could have been perfect!" He bemoaned. >> [20:29]Aislinn Melpomene: Sir Robin picked up one of the halves. "Well... why do we not simply see if these will work still?" He suggested, and the miqo'te picked up the other. "I suppose so... Let us split up." She ordered. The Lalafell went with Brave Sir Robin; the miqo'te with the Roegadyn. The first two came across another nest of Bunnybuncles, the mother of which perked up as they approached - appearing to be drawn to the half-gemstone, sniffing at it curiously. [20:32]Syranelle Ironleaf: Unsure of what to do with a fully fledged Bunnybuncle, instead of an egg, the Lalafell rubbed the half-gemstone atop the Bunnybuncle's head. But nothing seemed to happen. "Maybe your gemstone does not work upon the hatched ones. Mayhap try something more egg-like!" Sir Robin said, pointing to another nearby pile of Bunnybuncle eggs. The lalafell touched his gemstone to the eggs, then nodded for Sir Robin to break one. Sure enough, the egg was just a normal egg again! >> [20:34]Syranelle Ironleaf: "Whew, thank goodness!" he said in relief. Unbeknownst to them, the Bunnybuncle they'd touched with the gem began to shrink. And shrink. And shrink. Until it was nothing more than a mote of aether energy that got swept away by the Lifestream. On the other side of town, the miqo'te and the roegadyn were approaching another group of eggs with a pile of Bunnybuncles sleeping atop them. [20:40]Aislinn Melpomene: This pair had a similar idea. They placed the half a gem on a bunnybuncle's head. It perked up at the feeling, sending the gemstone flying into the air. The miqo'te caught it - but squeezed too hard in her desperation not to lose it. Part of the gemstone crumbled to dust, the dust settling onto the Bunnybuncles. Slowly, they began to shrink and shrink, until they were naught but specks of aether, blown off with the wind. >> [20:41]Aislinn Melpomene: The miqo'te glanced between the gemstone and where the bunnybuncles had just been. "The dust! Even the dust will rid us of them!" She quickly headed off to find the next nest. [20:45]Agnos Le'maudit: Off she ran, almost like a chicken with its head cut off. "The gemstone makes the Bunnybuncles go away!" she shouted as she ran, her Roegadyn compatriot sprinting after her to keep up. Her messaged managed to garner many an odd look from passer-bys, but more importantly, it reached Sir Robin and the lalafellin Arcanist as they crossed paths. [20:45]Agnos Le'maudit: Off she ran, almost like a chicken with its head cut off. "The gemstone makes the Bunnybuncles go away!" she shouted as she ran, her Roegadyn compatriot sprinting after her to keep up. Her messaged managed to garner many an odd look from passer-bys, but more importantly, it reached Sir Robin and the lalafellin Arcanist as they crossed paths. [20:48]Agnos Le'maudit: Sir Robin and the Arcanist exchanged glances, and there was an audible click as they realized what they should do. Off they ran to their next batch, touching the gemstone to any and all carbunnies and eggs they could find. But just then, a little girl approached them, curious to know why they were making all the little carbunnies disappear and turning the glittery eggs into normal ones. [20:51]Syranelle Ironleaf: Such matters are always difficult to explain to children, but the four of them tried their best. "You see," the lalafell began, "these Bunnybuncles aren't real creatures; they were an experiment of sorts that got out of hand." The miqo'te continued, "If they keep multiplying, soon everything will be taken over by Bunnybuncles and there won't be room for the rest of us." The roegadyn took up the speech next. >> [20:53]Syranelle Ironleaf: "And if some of them get exposed to magic they shouldn't, they might become dangerous." Brave Sir Robin finished off their explanation. "And then you'll have to run away and call Brave Sir Robin to save you! And we don't want that. We want everyone to be safe and the Bunnybuncles to go back to theory where they belong! This should be a warning to all young Arcanists not to meddle in things they shouldn't!" He might have glared a bit at the lalafell as he said this. [20:57]Agnos Le'maudit: "But I like the bunnybuncles," the little girl pouted. "And I like the glittery eggs. Can't it wait until after the festival?" In unison, the four adults muttered, "Not really..." "And why not?" the girl asked. "Time is of the essence, my dear," the lalafell said softly to her. "These bunnybuncles make little ones faster than you can imagine." [20:57]Agnos Le'maudit: "But I like the bunnybuncles," the little girl pouted. "And I like the glittery eggs. Can't it wait until after the festival?" In unison, the four adults muttered, "Not really..." "And why not?" the girl asked. "Time is of the essence, my dear," the lalafell said softly to her. "These bunnybuncles make little ones faster than you can imagine." [20:59]Agnos Le'maudit: "I've seen the bunnybuncles make eggs, I know how fast it is," the little girl told him with a straight face. The smile freezing on the lalafell's face garnered a loud guffaw from the Roegadyn for a moment, which in turn made the lalafell turn to glare at him. "So then you know that time is of the essence!" the miqo'te cut in while the two decided to have a little spat. "Yes..." the girl reluctantly agreed. "But do you have to go around smashing the eggs, then? They're so pretty, until they're just...goop. What happens if you leave the normal eggs?" [21:03]Syranelle Ironleaf: "If we leave the normal eggs out, they'll eventually rot. You know what happens when an egg gets rotten? If they get broken, they smell really foul and make life terrible!" the lalafell explained. "As pretty as they are, I don't think it would be worth leaving them and having someone accidentally break one. Do you?" The little girl sulked some more. "I guess not..." Nodding, the lalafell looked to the miqo'te, the roegadyn, and Brave Sir Robin. >> [21:05]Syranelle Ironleaf: "I can't thank the three of you enough for all your help. I wish I could reward you for everything you've done. Wait, I have it...!" He presented to each of them a Bunnybuncle egg. "NO!" they all shouted in unison, touching them to a gem, then smashing the raw eggs on the lalafell's head, each of them walking off, grumbling. "Well, one does not make omelets without breaking a few eggs." He shrugged, "Back to the drawing board."